(a) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to vehicle brake light devices and systems and more particularly, but not by way of limitation, to a stoplamp modulator module electronic device adapted for attachment to a center high-mount stoplamp in the rear of new vehicles or as a retrofit system and providing different types of early warning alert signals to trailing vehicles. Also, while not discussed herein, the invention can be used equally well with vehicle stoplamps other than the center high-mount stoplamp.
There are over 123 million automobiles on the roads of the United States. Additionally there are 58 million trucks, busses, commercial vans, school vehicles, etc., using these same highways. Without exception, every driver of these vehicles at one time or another has experienced the terror of coming up too quickly on a vehicle which was moving at a slower speed or even at a dead stop on the road ahead. With so many vehicles on the road, and more being added every day, this dangerous occurrence is becoming more and more common.
The result of this driving hazard phenomenon is 3.5 million rear-end crashes annually. Most people are unaware of their precarious situation when they encounter any unexpected slowing of traffic. If in this situation, one person misjudges how soon and how fast to brake, the result is one car after another "stopping short." The outcome is often a jarring to reality as the screeching of tires is echoed. Many times these encounters result at best in crumpled metal, and at worst great injury or loss of life. According to government statistics, rear-end crashes constitute 23% of all police reported crashes. Three and one half million rear-end crashes occur annually, resulting in thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries. Medical and material losses are in the tens of billions of dollars. Traffic delay (144 million vehicle hours lost annually) and strain on municipal resources are among the numerous negative side effects. Statistics also show that 85% of rear-end crashes occur when the lead vehicle is stopped or traveling slowly (under 25 MPH) and result largely from driver inattention and other forms of delayed recognition (i.e., driver does not properly perceive, comprehend, and/or react to the vehicle in his or her forward travel path).
A significant factor contributing to this phenomenon is that brake lights as they exist today provide only general information about braking, i.e., the brake has been applied. No distinction is made between brakes applied at 50 MPH and brakes applied at 15 MPH. The primary purpose of brake lights is the prevention of rear-end crashes. However, the only information that is known for sure is that the brake light switch has been closed, which could mean any degree of braking at any speed. Even with this obscure information, drivers gain a limited understanding of the intentions of drivers ahead, giving them, to a small degree, confidence and driving efficiency.
Many studies have been performed over the past 25 years related to the circumstances and causes of rear-end crashes, with the intention of finding ways to improve rear signaling devices.